HARTFORD -- Senate Minority Leader John McKinney's political life is an open book.

In fact, it's 15 books, detailing the thousands of votes he has taken on everything from medical marijuana and the repeal of the death penalty to a string of state budgets, all of which he voted against.

McKinney has also consistently rejected raising the state's minimum wage and almost anything else, including the state's version of the federal Affordable Care Act, that he thinks might handcuff Connecticut's already strapped businesses.

At the height of the corruption scandals that forced John G. Rowland from the Governor's Residence in 2004, McKinney was the lone state senator to vote against additional funding for the house's nonprofit foundation.

He was also one of three senators in the 36-member chamber who voted against designating the American Shad the "state fish" in 2004.

And although McKinney plans to raise $250,000 in small contributions to leverage millions of dollars in campaign funds in his run for governor under the state's public financing program, he voted against the measure in the special legislative session that was held in 2005 in reaction to the Rowland scandal.

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On the recordAmong Senate Minority Leader John McKinney's notable votes:2011: Led his 14-member caucus in opposition to the governor's bioscience collaboration program2010: Voted against the Connecticut Healthcare Partnership and the SustiNet programs that will bring federal Affordable Care Act to Connecticut; McKinney one of two senators to vote against the redistricting state's probate courts; helped establish the bipartisan deficit-mitigation plan2008: Voted against paid sick days for many state workers2000: Voted against doubling length of legislative terms to four years.

A Hearst Connecticut Newspapers examination of voting records kept on file in the state library indicates that in his 15 years in the Senate, McKinney has established a fiscally conservative record in thousands of floor votes.

He's tough on crime and has opposed repealing the state's death penalty. He's voted against using the Internet for voter registration.

But McKinney was in the eye of the storm during the springtime attempt by families of slain children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School to keep private the grisly crime scene photos. His leadership, as a bill was approved in the waning hours of the General Assembly session in June, earned McKinney the praise of Newtown families.

McKinney also helped broker a bipartisan jobs plan and a deficit mitigation deal. And he has supported legislation enhancing penalties for sex offenders who target children.

McKinney is positioning himself against nearly everything first-term Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has accomplished during his three years. McKinney in the governor's mansion would mean budget proposals that would fly in the face of Democrats, who now rule the House, 98-53, and the Senate, 22-14.

McKinney, who made his gubernatorial aspirations public Monday night, thinks the nearly 10 percent spending hike in the two-year, $44 billion budget that took effect July 1 is a good political target. Increased levels of borrowing and taxes, including the biggest tax hike in state history back in 2010, are other vulnerable spots in Malloy's record.

"I expect he has a number of delegates lined up," Rose said. "John has great name recognition. Older people know about his father. To say Malloy has failed is certainly a good issue between our ranking for low economic growth, high unemployment and the number of corporations that have left over the years. I think that the time is ripe for candidates to address the serious economic problems."